1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to internal combustion engine apparatus, and, more particularly, to apparatus for vaporizing a fluid solution and injecting the vaporized fluid into an internal combustion engine.
2. Description of the Prior Art
There are two primary ways of providing a fuel and air mixture for combustion into a cylinder of an internal combustion engine. The first way, and the most popular way with respect to the current state of the art, is by use of a carburetor in which a flow of air through the throat of a carburetor subjects fuel to low pressure created at the throat and accordingly results in a flow of fuel into the moving air stream. The air stream and the fuel mix to form a mixture of fuel and air. The flow of air in turn vaporizes, in varying degrees or in varying amounts, the fuel prior to the flow of the fuel air mixture through an intake manifold and into a cylinder.
The second method of achieving the delivery of a fuel-air mixture into the combustion chamber of a cylinder is to inject a quantity of fuel directly into an air stream. Fuel injection is a more precise method of achieving a correct fuel-air mixture in an engine than is carburation, but it is also substantially more expensive.
With both carburetion and fuel injection systems, the mixture ratio of fuel and air is predetermined according to certain parameters. Means are used to enrichen a mixture of fuel and air when such situation is desired. However, to lean, or derichen, the fuel and air mixture is not so easily accomplished.
In certain types of aircraft engines, a derichment situation occurs by the use of so-called water injection. This "water" is generally a mixture of water and alcohol and is added for two primary reasons. The first reason is to lean the fuel and air mixture to increase the power of the engine by achieving a more nearly correct fuel and air mixture ratio. The second reason is to achieve some type of cooling when the engine is running under near maximum capabilities which creates excess heat and in which such excess heat is undesirable. However, under normal running or cruising conditions the water mixture is turned off and only the regular or normal fuel and air mixture flows to the engine.
Several types of water or fluid injection systems have been used experimentally with internal combustion engines under different running conditions. Heretofore, such water or fluid injection systems have not proven entirely satisfactory for increasing either the power or the fuel economy of the engines. The systems generally include elaborate metering apparatus and accordingly are relatively expensive.
The apparatus described and claimed herein is relatively simple, compact, and efficient in accomplishing the appropriate injection of vaporized water or fluid into the air stream of the carburetor above the throttle.